


A Short Repose

by wickedorin



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, shared trauma ala Xehanort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-25
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-05-09 08:23:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5532413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wickedorin/pseuds/wickedorin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>KH/FF-mas gift fic: Nightmares plague much-needed rest, but will these morons ever learn to communicate?  Set after the events of KH3D, a little hurt/comfort fluff for Sora and Riku (because I couldn’t get them to do anything else, ahem).</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Short Repose

**Author's Note:**

> This is a [KH/FF-mas](http://khffxmas.tumblr.com/) Secret Santa gift fic for the wonderful and talented [letshareapapou](http://tmblr.co/mJtqPABEbyEt8HIpAPA9gAg)! And now… a secret no longer. I’d thought at first that I was going to write Zack and Sephiroth again, since it had been quite a few years, but then my girlfriend made a suggestion and I’ve been feeling Riku a lot lately, so… well, this happened. After I broke 2,000 words I stopped counting. Beta read and generally improved upon by Schala-Kitty.
> 
> I know the adage is “show, don’t tell”. I worry that I’ve done a lot more “offering teasing glimpses of” than either showing or telling, so I hope I haven’t been too irritatingly subtle with anything for the sake of fluff. There’s pretty much a novel’s worth of things left unsaid, but that seems to be my “style” these days. Hey, a follow-up is always possible. In any case, I hope it’s enjoyed, and Happiest of Holidays!

There were preparations to be made, a great many things to be done. Of _course_ there were; all of the Keyblade Masters, those servants of Light, needed to be at their best. Trained and fit and ready–  
  
And well-rested. That added detail had surprised everyone, though it was Yensid’s decree and King Mickey supported him in full. Rest, for a while. Not overly long, certainly not long enough to let any skills wan; but long enough to be _rested_. There was to be enough pushing and struggle ahead. A little mental and physical relaxation was said to do wonders, after all, and wonders were precisely what they needed.  
  
Agreement came from everyone, finally (it was surprisingly Kairi above all else who held out when it came to agreeing to a minor break; right up until Lea called her out on hiding a yawn mid-argument). They were each allowed to choose where they wanted to rest, how they wanted to spend their time. It was only natural that the “Destiny Island Trio” had one particular location in mind, permission granted before it was even asked.  
  
Maybe the real surprise came in the initial decision to all keep to their own homes, to simply exist slightly apart for a time. Possibly predictably, that didn’t last past the second night, when Sora suggested a sleep-over. He was teased, naturally, mostly about his age, but the agreement was so very easy.  
  
Riku had noticed it, then. After the laughter and bad movies, the utterly unfair pillow fight, the fact that he’d called out Sora for yawning first, despite the truly enjoyable evening they had together as three, falling asleep in sleeping bags lined up next to one another, a distinctive waft of Darkness pulled Riku from a deep sleep. It wasn’t a cloying scent, nothing so direct as to be a threat, and yet even the slightest hint of that too easily remembered sourness was enough to bring him to full consciousness, to have his eyes scanning the room–  
  
And landing on Sora. Eyes closed, face scrunched up in concern, making whisper-soft whimpers, it was clear that he was dreaming. Having a nightmare in the only way the boy knew how; doing his damnest not to disturb anyone around him. Riku had forced himself to grin at the thought, shifting to lay down again in his own sleeping bag… then pretending that the hand he brushed up against Sora’s tensed fist was an unconscious accident. Something squeezed tightly around his heart when he heard the brunet gasp, pant for a moment… then reach to _take_ his hand ever so gently, believing him to still be asleep. It wasn’t all that long after when the assumption proved correct, only after the breathing had evened out enough to signal that the moment had passed.  
  
While that was the last of the slumber parties for a while, Riku couldn’t turn a blind eye to what had been revealed to him. Confiding in Kairi hadn’t seemed the least bit an over-reaction; they were supposed to be resting for whatever battle lay ahead, and nightmares were decidedly not a part of that (even if he was utterly aware of what a hypocrite that made him). It took very little to confirm that even though Sora behaved like his perfectly normal, overenthusiastic and brightly shining self during the days, he seemed more than happy to accept any invitation to keep from spending the nights alone. That simplified “the plan”: he and Kairi decided to take turns “hosting” Sora. Not because he really needed “a keeper” (though Riku would continue to joke about the subject), and certainly he could more than take care of himself. There were just those… sometimes, when hints of Darkness came with nightmares.  
  
After a couple of weeks of their plan being implemented, Kairi secretly admitted to having never actually been witness to those nightmares. Honestly, that only set Riku at even less ease then before, wondering if he were somehow responsible. (Kairi insisted that the idea was silly. And while he accepted that, he still wondered. He was certain that she knew as much.) Still, the nightmares didn’t happen _every_ time Sora spent the night, and tended to end once contact was made between them. It wasn’t too much of a concern. Considering.  
  
Until halfway through the third week. Riku had made a dire error in reaching for Sora’s hand the moment the scent of Darkness woke him, then falling immediately back to sleep. When he woke again, one entire arm was around the brunet’s waist, Sora trying rather awkwardly to pull away without disturbing him. It didn’t work, clearly; Riku noticed, blushed, apologized, and while Sora assured him that it was alright…  
  
Nothing was quite the _same_ , after. Even when Sora spent the night again, there was some distance. Every time Riku looked at him, he’d turn away, purposely making no eye contact, trying to distract him or change the subject. That wasn’t the worst part; he _did_ make eye contact. Once.  
  
Riku met with Kairi secretly to discuss the matter, but she insisted that she hadn’t experienced the same. She _hadn’t_ caught sight of blue eyes only to be startled by what met her gaze, never saw the play of loss, terror, heartache and then something too quick to identify shuddering below the surface before he turned away and suggested a movie. Riku never would have called her a liar, and definitely not unobservant. But. He wondered how anyone could miss it. Or how anyone couldn’t feel the absolute need to talk about it after. Sora was still the same during the day, eager to talk and gesture to both of them, to everyone, grinning and laughing and eating too much ice cream before sparring with anyone who’d entertain him near the beach.  
  
There was only one conclusion for Riku to draw. It was him, then. It was all him. The Darkness, the avoidance… and while Sora was only too glad to invite himself over for another night, the silver-haired Keyblade Master wondered if it shouldn’t be the last.  
  
He gave in, as he was wont to do with Sora. Another night just to see, just to make sure; and, really, another night to savor before he decided to end his responsibility as “host”. He’d gotten used to the avoidance of eye contact, glad to agree to watch a movie until they were both tired enough to sleep. That made it peaceful. That made it friendly and okay.  
  
Riku woke later with a painful start, fighting his way out of the sleeping bag with unnecessary strength, giving no thought to the sound of ripping. Darkness was suddenly thick in the air, choking him, choking _Sora_ –  
  
Sora. He’d already been sitting up himself, seemingly very much awake, hiding his face in his hands and– Tears. Riku saw the shine of moisture against lightly tanned skin in the low light, reached out to touch, stopped himself before contact was made.  
  
But the brunet noticed, sniffing sharply, moving to wipe away the moisture from his eyes as quickly as possible. “Go back to sleep, okay? It’s fine.”  
  
“It damn well isn’t.” Not that he’d _meant_ to curse, but his voice held none of the fire that his words did. His hand was so light on Sora’s shoulder, careful as though there was something fragile beneath his grasp rather than flesh and bone; as if he wasn’t addressing someone he’d been through Hell with and lived to tell.  
  
“No, really. It’s okay, just a… a little bad dream, okay? Just embarrassing.” Wiping his eyes again, the brunet grinned entirely too widely.  
  
Sora had learned how to lie. How to lie _well_ , even. But Riku had learned to identify those lies; and they were _always_ spoken to alleviate worry. Besides… “You’re not as good a liar as you think you are.” Not _that_ time, in any case.  
  
Riku never would have expected the result to have been admission of guilt through Sora’s eyes alone. The grin fell, along with all pretense of optimism. Just…  
  
He wished Kairi were there, suddenly. She’d know what to do, what to say. Riku was only convinced that he was going to make it worse. “Sora. What’s wrong?”  
  
There was almost a violent shaking of that head, Sora’s face once again firmly in his hands. “I’m fine, I’m fine.”  
  
And he was lying outright. Obviously. Sora had been reduced to really and truly _lying_ and the very last whiffs of Darkness still managed to hold to the air around them. It was _horrible_ to see his friend like that, to see the strength he’d admired there crumbled even for a moment; and it was just a ridiculous last-ditch effort that hadn’t even formed as a proper thought before it became action. Touch had soothed the nightmares, hadn’t it? Riku leaned forward and wrapped his arms around the brunet, feeling momentarily terrified at the utter stiff stillness of his friend’s entire body in return–  
  
Then laughter. Thick, not entirely humored laughter (at first), but it seemed like a decent sign. Better, at the very least; Sora finally wiped his eyes a moment later, still content to look everywhere but Riku’s direction. “I-it… Xehanort was…” A hiccuped sob interrupted the words, but the image was already burned into their memories. _Overtaken_ rather than controlled, temporarily wholly erased and _emptied_ …  
  
 _I’m sorry._ “I know.” Riku whispered, just to save Sora from having to explain. _I’m sorry._ It was still so dreadfully soon after Sora had been _taken_ by Darkness… and it took effort not to cringe at that thought. The Darkness that he smelled was a remnant. A reminder. _I’m so, so sorry that I couldn’t help you sooner, that I didn’t see it until it was too late, that all of this was my fault in the first place…_  
  
Sora could almost hear his friend’s thoughts, laughing again and shoving his shoulder, but not pushing him away. _Stop that._ “I just…” He stopped to sniff loudly again, wiping his eyes. Then very slowly, tentatively, met that aquamarine gaze again. “A-and I… remember. When you were… and the, the not-Ansem was… Y'know.”  
  
His jaw threatened to go slack. So _that_ was what was going on in the idiot’s head. “ _Sora_ …” He knew. Of course he’d known; for as oblivious as the brunet was, he still _understood_ certain things; had fundamental insight into the hearts of those he cared for. Riku could have taken hold of his best friend and _shaken_ him at that very moment. All the pain Sora was keeping inside wasn’t for the brunet’s own benefit, or even Kairi’s or the king’s; it was for _his_. All so that the idiot, the absolute _moron_ , wouldn’t cause _Riku_ any more guilt or pain or bad memories. _Well that worked for shit._ He sighed, deeply. Almost laughed. “Sora, it’s… okay.”  
  
“You still have nightmares.” He pointed out softly, finally starting to delicately return the hold, the hug.  
  
There was the lightest touch of a wince there. So he wasn’t as subtle about it as he hoped he was. No reason to lie. “Yeah. I do. Anyone would.” Riku hadn’t sought comfort. Or affirmation. He’d taken it upon himself in whole, like everything else.  
  
“Yeah.” Still a whisper, though Sora’s _eyes_ were certainly more honest. Bright, intense, not hiding anymore. Though, haunted…  
  
They were both a little haunted. And they were both going to have to embrace that, work with it, accept and work _through_. “Sora.” The word was a little _choked_ , Riku feeling on the verge of tears himself. So silly, so _sappy_ and stupid… Then he did finally laugh at himself, pulling away quickly just to reach for a tissue box. The action got another laugh out of Sora as well, gladly accepting, cleaning himself up a bit.  
  
He didn’t expect the kiss. Neither did _Riku_ , really; it was a very in the moment sort of thing, gratitude and need and an intimacy that came from understanding, having shared such… ache. Lingering ache. But _soothed_ , in part with a soft yet determined press of lips.  
  
Sora looked surprised. Not _scandalized_ , luckily, but a little like he was doing an impression of a fish. Riku would have said as much–  
  
Except that there was another soft kiss which followed, gentle and experimenting. Grateful.  
  
The silver-haired Keyblade master pulled Sora closer, just needing to _embrace_ him for a moment as his racing heart returned to normal. Little by little. “Don’t hide this from me.” His request was soft but serious, borderline pleading. “Don’t _hide_ from me. I promised I’d never hide form you again, right?” And he didn’t mean to _use_ that as some kind of bargaining chip, something to hold over Sora’s head, but–  
  
“R-right.” Offering another sniffle, he laughed again. “Right, yeah. I’ll hold you to that.”  
  
“So… don’t hide from me.” Riku reiterated, pulling just far enough away to make eye contact. Yes, those were the blue eyes he knew; hopeful and powerful and gentle. “You’re no good at it anyway.”  
  
Sincerity turned instantly to mostly mock-irritation. “What? I could hide from you!”  
  
“You couldn’t.” It felt too good to tease, to be _okay_ again. “Who successfully hid from who, hm?”  
  
That time Sora did actually shove him away, getting a laugh for his effort. Which was joined. Even so, a moment later, he made a request of his own. “Don’t… ever do that again, either. Okay?”  
  
It stung a bit, honestly. But Riku understood; and answered honestly. “I won’t.”  
  
The nod was firm, like a pact had been made. “What time is it?”  
  
“I’m sure neither of us want to know.” Riku dismissed, rather liking the possibility that they might get some _sleep_. “Let’s go back to bed.”  
  
“In the same sleeping bag, right?” Not that Sora actually waited to invite himself over and into his friend’s, ignoring the fact that it wouldn’t be zipping up again anytime soon. That was a thing, wasn’t it? Friend? Or, well… whatever they were.  Or might become. The word didn’t matter.  
  
Sora’s action was followed by a hiss and a protest. “No way! Your feet are ice cold!”  
  
“But what if I can’t sleep otherwise?” He expertly whined.  
  
“Try.” Riku did his best to give an order before moving to shove himself back into his sleeping bag and turning away. He was glad to feel Sora snuggling up against his back despite his words.  
  
Until the question was voiced, “What if I want to stay up and have a pillow fight?”  
  
“Then I’ll roll you right out of this sleeping bag, so help me.” He was _serious_ about that.


End file.
